Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary

[RED-DOG]

BTW- do you know of who really can write on here?

Go on, ask me.

[RED-DOG]

Are you still here?

I have, (God help us all) a concrete question for you.

No.


I got a "cold call" from some outfit yesterday.

"Mr Kendall".

I'm waiting for the spiel to start, so I can hang up.

"Mr Kendall"

I eventually, & grudgingly, reply. "Yes".

But I near explode when he then says....

"is that you?"

I mean, what sort of answer did he expect?

A polite one?

[tikay]

BTW- do you know of who really can write on here?

Go on, ask me.

There are a goodly few, but I guess I'd better play along with your rather tiresome game.

Of who can really write on here, Tom?

[tikay]

Are you still here?

I have, (God help us all) a concrete question for you.

No.


I got a "cold call" from some outfit yesterday.

"Mr Kendall".

I'm waiting for the spiel to start, so I can hang up.

"Mr Kendall"

I eventually, & grudgingly, reply. "Yes".

But I near explode when he then says....

"is that you?"

I mean, what sort of answer did he expect?

A polite one?

I exercised my option to remain quiet. Better that way.

[RED-DOG]

Are you still here?

I have, (God help us all) a concrete question for you.

No.

Come on, you know you want to.

[RED-DOG]

BTW- do you know of who really can write on here?

Go on, ask me.

There are a goodly few, but I guess I'd better play along with your rather tiresome game.

Of who can really write on here, Tom?

By no means an exhaustive list, here are four to be going on with.

Andrew T.
Tal.
TightEnd.
Ralph.

[tikay]

Are you still here?

I have, (God help us all) a concrete question for you.

No.

Come on, you know you want to.

There is a specialist Diary for such questions, post it there & I may deign to reply in due course, if I feel so inclined

[RED-DOG]

Do to mean the one about the betting, or the one about the staking?

[Tal]

I set myself a challenge a few years ago in the summer between uni years to write a play. It was something I'd wanted to do, having written the odd comedy sketch and having done bits of poetry and creative writing since I was young. A play was a different sphere altogether, though.

I was ambitious and went with a modern take of Big Brother (it was 2004 and ripe for satire) but in the style of my favourite dramatist, Ben Jonson. I can't imagine how many hours I spent on it and the end result was about 40 minutes long. It won a competition with the Marlowe society to have a small workshop and production, but the achievement for me was setting out to do something and actually doing it. I'd no desire to take it to Edinburgh or for it ever to see the light of day again. It would need a huge amount of work to be the sort if thing I'd want to be out there with my name on it...and yet, as written, I am enormously proud of it.

If you want to write a book, no one has to read it (in before tikay!). Who are you writing for?

If your concern is about what you'll have to invest in time, it doesn't have to be a narrative in chapters and no one expects you to be Martin Amis. I would expect you'd prefer non-fiction, but you write so earnestly, I have a suggestion: What about a collection of fictional letters to your future great(-great) grandson about you, your family, your family's history, perception, whatever you like? It should enable you to write with an ease because you aren't worrying what Disgruntled of Norwich will think and you aren't writing for an audience that even exists, yet.

It needn't see the light of day, but, if it's something you want to do, why should anything stop you?

[tikay]

BTW- do you know of who really can write on here?

Go on, ask me.

There are a goodly few, but I guess I'd better play along with your rather tiresome game.

Of who can really write on here, Tom?

By no means an exhaustive list, here are four to be going on with.

Andrew T.
Tal.
TightEnd.
Ralph.

Can't argue with any of those, they are all most excellent, & I make a point of reading every single Post they write.

There are some folks who I sort of know what they are going to write, & so I just don't bother reading them.

We all have different tastes though, & it's all good.

You must pardon me droning on a bit this morning, I awoke to a foul & depressing series of e-Mails & PM's today, aggro aggro aggro, & I'm trying to work myself out of the resultant bad mood. 

[tikay]

I set myself a challenge a few years ago in the summer between uni years to write a play. It was something I'd wanted to do, having written the odd comedy sketch and having done bits of poetry and creative writing since I was young. A play was a different sphere altogether, though.

I was ambitious and went with a modern take of Big Brother (it was 2004 and ripe for satire) but in the style of my favourite dramatist, Ben Jonson. I can't imagine how many hours I spent on it and the end result was about 40 minutes long. It won a competition with the Marlowe society to have a small workshop and production, but the achievement for me was setting out to do something and actually doing it. I'd no desire to take it to Edinburgh or for it ever to see the light of day again. It would need a huge amount of work to be the sort if thing I'd want to be out there with my name on it...and yet, as written, I am enormously proud of it.

If you want to write a book, no one has to read it (in before tikay!). Who are you writing for?

If your concern is about what you'll have to invest in time, it doesn't have to be a narrative in chapters and no one expects you to be Martin Amis. I would expect you'd prefer non-fiction, but you write so earnestly, I have a suggestion: What about a collection of fictional letters to your future great(-great) grandson about you, your family, your family's history, perception, whatever you like? It should enable you to write with an ease because you aren't worrying what Disgruntled of Norwich will think and you aren't writing for an audience that even exists, yet.

It needn't see the light of day, but, if it's something you want to do, why should anything stop you?

BOOM, what a great idea.

[RED-DOG]

I set myself a challenge a few years ago in the summer between uni years to write a play. It was something I'd wanted to do, having written the odd comedy sketch and having done bits of poetry and creative writing since I was young. A play was a different sphere altogether, though.

I was ambitious and went with a modern take of Big Brother (it was 2004 and ripe for satire) but in the style of my favourite dramatist, Ben Jonson. I can't imagine how many hours I spent on it and the end result was about 40 minutes long. It won a competition with the Marlowe society to have a small workshop and production, but the achievement for me was setting out to do something and actually doing it. I'd no desire to take it to Edinburgh or for it ever to see the light of day again. It would need a huge amount of work to be the sort if thing I'd want to be out there with my name on it...and yet, as written, I am enormously proud of it.

If you want to write a book, no one has to read it (in before tikay!). Who are you writing for?

If your concern is about what you'll have to invest in time, it doesn't have to be a narrative in chapters and no one expects you to be Martin Amis. I would expect you'd prefer non-fiction, but you write so earnestly, I have a suggestion: What about a collection of fictional letters to your future great(-great) grandson about you, your family, your family's history, perception, whatever you like? It should enable you to write with an ease because you aren't worrying what Disgruntled of Norwich will think and you aren't writing for an audience that even exists, yet.

It needn't see the light of day, but, if it's something you want to do, why should anything stop you?

Thank you Tal. I appreciate it. My dad did almost exactly what you suggest and already it's become a wonderful and treasured record of a time and a man that has past.

Now, how do we get to see this play what you writ? 

[RED-DOG]

When we first moved here I threw a few random paving slabs on to the grass and they became our path for the next 14 years. During that time, I've been constantly promising to do a proper job 'when I get around to it'.

Well that bird has finally come home to roost. SWMBO Won't let me procrastinate any longer. I've bought the ingredients and made a tentative start.

Goodbye clean nails and supple back.

Click to see full-size image.

I rather liked the existing (not any more) paving Tom, it had a sort of rustic lack of symmetry, & nice rounded/worn edges which I think worked perfectly in your set-up.

Put them back, imo, & ignore Mrs Red.

PS - cracking photo of the woodpecker.

I've changed the whole design because of you.

I hope your happy.

[tikay]

When we first moved here I threw a few random paving slabs on to the grass and they became our path for the next 14 years. During that time, I've been constantly promising to do a proper job 'when I get around to it'.

Well that bird has finally come home to roost. SWMBO Won't let me procrastinate any longer. I've bought the ingredients and made a tentative start.

Goodbye clean nails and supple back.

Click to see full-size image.

I rather liked the existing (not any more) paving Tom, it had a sort of rustic lack of symmetry, & nice rounded/worn edges which I think worked perfectly in your set-up.

Put them back, imo, & ignore Mrs Red.

PS - cracking photo of the woodpecker.

I've changed the whole design because of you.

I hope your happy.

Never mind me, how did Mrs Red take to being over-ridden by my view?

I would imagine some serious chuntering ensued, & will continue to ensue for some time.

[Tal]

I set myself a challenge a few years ago in the summer between uni years to write a play. It was something I'd wanted to do, having written the odd comedy sketch and having done bits of poetry and creative writing since I was young. A play was a different sphere altogether, though.

I was ambitious and went with a modern take of Big Brother (it was 2004 and ripe for satire) but in the style of my favourite dramatist, Ben Jonson. I can't imagine how many hours I spent on it and the end result was about 40 minutes long. It won a competition with the Marlowe society to have a small workshop and production, but the achievement for me was setting out to do something and actually doing it. I'd no desire to take it to Edinburgh or for it ever to see the light of day again. It would need a huge amount of work to be the sort if thing I'd want to be out there with my name on it...and yet, as written, I am enormously proud of it.

If you want to write a book, no one has to read it (in before tikay!). Who are you writing for?

If your concern is about what you'll have to invest in time, it doesn't have to be a narrative in chapters and no one expects you to be Martin Amis. I would expect you'd prefer non-fiction, but you write so earnestly, I have a suggestion: What about a collection of fictional letters to your future great(-great) grandson about you, your family, your family's history, perception, whatever you like? It should enable you to write with an ease because you aren't worrying what Disgruntled of Norwich will think and you aren't writing for an audience that even exists, yet.

It needn't see the light of day, but, if it's something you want to do, why should anything stop you?

Thank you Tal. I appreciate it. My dad did almost exactly what you suggest and already it's become a wonderful and treasured record of a time and a man that has past.

Now, how do we get to see this play what you writ? 

Perfect! You have free rein to write whatever you want and have something you can work from. The important thing is to make it your own. Don't pretend to write as your father. You could reply to the letters if you wanted. Or you could write your own interpretation on the same topics. Or you could just head off on your own jaunt, focusing on the story you want to tell; the message you want to deliver. Volume two, a generation on. The beauty is you are starting a patchwork quilt and that means the patches don't have to match at all, as long as they fit together.

As for my play, as a famous scribe so eloquently writes, that's for another day...